


Frozen Past

by TiffanyF



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-03
Updated: 2013-02-02
Packaged: 2017-11-27 23:53:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/667914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TiffanyF/pseuds/TiffanyF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Formerly "Lovers Gained but at cost". Re-written Harry Potter fic. Harry returns to Hogwarts in his sixth year injured. Severus takes an interest in his condition and the strange new powers Harry seems to be developing. Is there more to Potter's past than anyone knew? I don't own anything in here that you recognize and make no money from these fics.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

How he would have preferred to be out prowling the grounds or in his private laboratory working on one of his experimental potions. How he longed to be anywhere other than where he was – where he was required to remain until after the puddings. Professor Severus Snape sat at the head table in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and sulked. Not that he would admit it; no he was deep in thought. All right, damn it, he was sulking and it was all the old coot’s fault. Dumbledore with his grand speech to the staff about banding together in the coming hard times, how everyone had to support the Gryffindor Golden boy now that his mutt of a godfather was gone. Severus swore that at least two of the women were in tears by the end of the staff meeting. As far as Snape could tell it was just another in a long line of excuses for the boy to slack off again. What Potter really needed to be doing was learning how to defeat the Dark Lord and keep alive through the final battle. But it was weird that no one other than Snape seemed to see it that way. Everyone seemed to go out of their way to avoid teaching Potter anything useful.

Severus closed his eyes with a mental groan. He didn’t know how he would be able to survive another year in the same castle as Harry Potter. Another year of pretending to loathe Harry Potter when all he wanted to do was help him, hold him – love him. Severus had long ago abandoned all personal pretenses and stopped lying to himself where his brat was concerned. He could vividly remember Harry’s wide green eyes as he took in the Great Hall for the first time. The first time they made eye contact. His first words to the boy in class. The first orgasm he’d stroked himself to imagining Harry’s hand – his small hand – on him. How he had loved the boy since he saw him at the Sorting Ceremony. The love he hid behind a mask day after torturous day.

The flap of wings made him open his eyes. Draco Malfoy’s Eagle owl gazed at him from the front of the table, dropped a letter on his clean gold plate and took to the air again. Snape sighed and opened the envelope as the first students started to show in the Great Hall.

“Problem, Severus?” Dumbledore asked from his chair at the center of the table.

“Most likely,” Snape snapped. He scanned the letter before dropping it back onto his plate and casting incendio to destroy it. “One of my students needs to speak with me prior to the feast, Headmaster. If you will excuse me, I may be unavoidably detained.”  
********************

Harry stared up at the only place he had ever considered his home. Now it had turned into just one more place to endure. He wondered, again, what would happen to him if he finally managed to defeat Voldemort. Dumbledore would probably just push him aside, that was if he even managed to survive in the first place. Maybe he should just let Voldemort kill him and let the stronger, better trained wizards deal with Voldemort. It certainly seemed like no one wanted to teach Harry how to kill the Dark Lord. He’d been lucky up until that point, but he really felt like his luck was starting to run out. Death would certainly solve a lot of problems.

But there was something much stronger keeping Harry alive – his feelings for a certain snarky potion’s master. He could feel his heart break every time Snape yelled at him in class or tormented him. Snape would probably be happy enough to dance to know how close Harry was to killing himself – by his own hand or another’s – it didn’t matter anymore. Harry just wanted it all to end.  
********************

It wasn’t hard for Snape to spot Harry. Most of the students were in the Great Hall and his beautiful boy had lingered, gazing at the carriages. He wondered if Harry could see the thestrals and then mentally kicked himself. Harry had seen Diggeroy murdered at the end of the Tri-wizard Tournament in his fourth year. Oh how Severus longed to cross the entryway and stairs, gather the boy into his body and protect him. He wanted to claim the sweetness, the passion for life, the soul-burning power that flowed under that creamy skin. Snape bit his lip to keep from moaning aloud at the thought of tasting those lips. He was sure they would taste of purity, innocence, of lost youth.

“Potter, my office,” Snape said, for once not snapping. He swept away in a billow of dark robes towards his dungeons, not questioning that Harry was behind him. The boy wasn’t such an idiot that he’d ignore such a command even from his hated potion’s master.

“I received a rather interesting note, Mr. Potter,” Snape said once they were securely sealed in his office. “Young Mr. Malfoy tells me you were civil to him on the train.”

“I’m sorry, Professor, I wasn’t aware I offended him,” Harry replied wearily. “I’ll apologize next time I see him.”

“Is that sarcasm, Potter?”

“No sir, I just wanted to be left alone and told him so. I’m sorry if I caused any problems.”

Snape stared at the young man sitting in front of him. Potter had a glazed look in his beautiful emerald eyes and his fine skin was flushed, but he otherwise appeared normal. If Snape wasn’t so familiar with the signs he would’ve dismissed them as disinterested or insolence. He paused for a moment, had he before and not realized it?

“Where are you injured, Potter?”

“What?”

“Potter, I’m not an idiot,” Snape sighed, thinking the exact opposite. “I can tell just from looking at you that you are hurt. Do you wish the whole school to know of your injury or do you believe you can trust me?”

“I don’t know who to trust anymore,” Harry muttered.

This is all Albus’s fault, Snape thought rubbing his forehead. “Potter, if you tell me the location of your injury I can give you a potion that will heal you; or you can accompany me to the hospital wing. It is entirely your choice.”

“Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?” Harry asked. “Why this sudden interest in my health? What’s going on?”

I should’ve let the Dark Lord kill me, Snape thought with a mental sigh. “Potter, if you are incapable of recognizing simple courtesy then you are mentally impaired than I originally believed.”

Finding his footing on more familiar ground, Harry looked up at his professor. “Why should I trust you?”

“Potter…I really do not have the time nor the patience to deal with this tonight,” Snape sighed. “Detention, tomorrow night, 8pm with me. Go to the hospital wing and get Madame Pomphrey to heal you.”

“I…yes Professor.” Harry’s shoulder’s drooped as he turned to leave.  
********************

That night as he lay in bed nothing could take Snape’s mind off the look of absolute defeat on Harry’s face. Not even his favorite fantasy of Harry tied to his bed and climaxing on Snape’s long, potion-stained fingers before Snape plunged into his body, making the boy harden and climax again and again before Snape’s own climax – how he longed to try it in real life. But every time he grew even slightly hard the emerald eyes he was imagining morphed into the defeated look Harry had worn as he left Snape’s office. Snape had seen the look many times among the students in his house and knew he’d worn a look much like it through his own school years. It was the look that said you had no one left who cared about you for any reason. And Severus was even more concerned about the injuries Potter was hiding. He didn’t know why the boy would try to hide the fact that he was injured when Poppy could heal him in a matter of moments.

Finally, rather than face a sleepless and frustrating night in his rooms – Snape really needed the relief an orgasm would bring him – Snape decided it would be more productive to prowl the school and see if he could find anyone out of their rooms. At least he would be able to take house points and it was always so much more satisfying to have the students start out in negative numbers. And maybe, just maybe, he would run into the number one rule-breaker in the school.  
********************

An hour of stalking the halls proved pointless and Snape was just starting to think the students were all in their beds like pathetically good people when he passed the door to the prefects’ bath. His keen ears picked up the sound of someone crying. With a sigh he pushed the door open and swept inside. Through the steam he could just make out a shape curled up in a corner, wearing nothing by a towel, sobbing. As he drew closer Snape realized exactly who it was.

“Potter, would you explain why you are out of bounds your first night back at school?”

Harry curled up as if trying to ward off blows and Snape sighed. He really didn’t like having to comfort children, it wasn’t in his nature; plus he didn’t know what would happen if he actually touched the boy. He knelt down and, as the Gryffindor was curled up so tightly, Snape could see his back but not his chest or arms. Scars ran the length of Harry’s back, so evenly spaced that Snape knew someone had taken a great deal of time and care to beat or cut the boy. He sighed again and cast a simple sleeping spell on Potter so he could carry him. The most important thing at that point was to get Harry somewhere safe and warm. Severus was positive that Harry was hiding something from him and the rest of the school. He wondered what it was.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry awoke in a strange bed. He stayed perfectly still for a moment and took in his surroundings – the bed was larger and more comfortable than his four poster in Gryffindor Tower, but plain with no indication of who it belonged to. The room was large and stone, not well lit at that moment and he couldn’t see any personal items to tell him where he was. He just knew that he wasn’t in the infirmary or his own bed.

He was puzzled; the last thing he remembered was bathing and planning to do some research on shield spells in the library before he went to bed. He must have collapsed from blood loss or something. Harry sighed and pushed up into a sitting position. He didn’t know what to do; no one listened to him when he said he didn’t want to go back to his aunt and uncle every year. They just harped on about how he needed the protection his mother’s sacrifice provided.

“Mr. Potter,” a soft, silky voice spoke from the shadows, “I believe I told you to stop at the hospital wing on your way to your dorm this evening. Tell me why you did not obey me.”

With a start Harry spun around and doubled over in pain. He clutched his chest and curled into as tight a ball as he could. He was vaguely aware of bandages under his hands.

“Mr. Potter, I wonder what I shall do with you,” the same voice said.

Harry felt the bed dip and he slowly became aware of a hand rubbing his back and flinched away. “Don’t.”

“What, Mr. Potter?”

“Don’t touch me.”

Snape sighed and shifted back a little to give Harry some room. He’d applied an advanced healing salve to the deep wounds on Harry’s chest and bandaged them, but knew it would be a couple of days before they were fully healed. He had been appalled by the sheer number of cuts and bruises the young man had. Snape hadn’t bothered to count the scars; he was too busy making sure he attended each of the new injuries. “Then what do you suggest I do, Mr. Potter?”

“What am I doing here? Where am I?”

“As you are injured I shall ignore your tone. I brought you to my quarters as your actions told me you didn’t wish anyone to see you injured in such a manner.”

“No one cares,” Harry whispered turning back into the pillows. “So why should I tell anyone? They only see and hear what they want anyway.”

“Mr. Potter, the world does not revolve around you,” Snape said. “If you wish to carry all your burdens yourself rather than share them or ask for help, then that is your business. However, I ask that you refrain from bleeding on the floors as it does tend to upset Mr. Filch.”

Harry looked up at his Potion’s Master. “I knew you wouldn’t understand,” he muttered.

“How can I understand when you haven’t told me what the problem is?” Snape demanded. “Maybe the savior of the wizarding world would rather just wallow in pity rather than grace mere mortals with his story. It would never occur to him that maybe someone might care!”

“Why? You never have before so why would you start now?” Harry demanded. “No one has ever listened to me about anything, so why should I bother anymore?”

Snape took a deep breath. He wanted to kiss the young man lying in his bed, if for no other reason than to shut him up, but he knew it would scar the boy worse than whatever had decorated his back. “Did it never occur to you, Mr. Potter that I could just read your mind to learn what happened? I’m rumored to be a dark wizard; maybe I would enjoy raping your mind, learning all your secrets. I would be able to learn everything about you, nothing could be held back, you would be helpless to resist me. And then, when I know everything you wish to hide I could throw you back to the students you seem to disdain so much. Oh, how sweet it would be to learn all the Gryffindor Golden Boy wishes to hide. What secrets could be in your head?”

“You wouldn’t,” Harry stuttered.

“And why wouldn’t I?”

“Dumbledore…”

“Oh yes, the headmaster,” Snape purred. “He trusts me, does he not? Why would he care what I did to you? You say yourself that he doesn’t care about anything other than that scar on your forehead, so why should he want to stop me raping you?”

A small voice in his head was screaming at Snape to stop, to shut up, to never say anything again. He was vaguely aware that he was scaring the boy more than was probably good for him in his current condition. With a visible wrench of will, Snape curved his train of thought, only to have it derail completely at the next words to come out of Harry’s mouth.

“You won’t be the first….”  
********************

Snape put Harry into a dreamless sleep and carefully checked his mind for all the details. He was horrified by what he found and also what he’d have to do next. After gathering up the potions he needed, Snape pulled down the covers and undressed Harry. He’d dreamed of the first moment he’d get to touch Harry’s ass, to slip a finger into his body and the reality was nothing like he’d imagined. Harry was damaged and it would take months to heal his body, longer to heal his mind.

Once he was done he dressed Harry in a pair of his sleep pants and tucked him into bed. Snape strengthened the protections on his rooms and left. He had work to do before he could let himself sleep.

“Ah, Severus,” Dumbledore called as his Potion’s Master flew past in a billow of black robes. “Have you, by chance, seen young Mr. Potter? He apparently was on the train, but vanished before he reached the Great Hall.”

Snape spun on his heel and faced the twinkling headmaster. “I know exactly where he is and he will stay there until he is recovered,” he hissed. “Harry will no longer be in the general population of this school.”

“What are you talking about, Severus?” Dumbledore asked, apparently puzzled.

“I think you know exactly what I’m talking about you twinkling old coot,” Snape snarled stepping forward. “I’m talking about you sending a child in your care back to an abusive household year after year; knowing what is happening and doing absolutely nothing to prevent it. I may not be the best person in our world, but at least I have the nerve to say when something has to end.”

Dumbledore’s eyes lost their genteel twinkle. “How dare you speak to me in that tone?” he asked. “You dare to speak to me with such insolence, the one who offered you protection when others would have killed you on sight? Have your forgotten all that you owe me?”

“I’ve forgotten nothing,” Snape said. “But I refuse to allow another to follow me down this dark path. If you so desire I will be out from under your care tonight. You can call the aurors on me if that’s what you wish. But it will avail you naught; Potter remains with me. I will allow no one to harm him again.”

“Then you are the fool,” Dumbledore hissed as Snape swept out the front door.  
********************

The lights were on at Number 4 Privet Drive when Snape appeared on the neatly mowed lawn. He could see two shapes moving about the house, apparently unconcerned. If he had his way they wouldn’t remain that way for long. Snape cast a quick charm on the front door and eased his way inside. Smirking to himself he silently moved to the sitting room and looked around. The thin muggle (that was Lily’s sister?) was sitting on a small sofa staring at a television while the fat muggle (good lord, did he know how gross he was?) sat staring at a drink in his hand.

“Good evening,” Snape said silkily, using his best classroom voice. “I hope you have no plans for the morrow as you won’t be leaving this house any time soon.”

He watched, amused, as the man jumped and splashed his drink all over his sweater and chair. The woman only squeaked and pressed herself back against the cushions. “Ah, perhaps you recognize me?” he continued. “I was a friend of your sister, Lily. Maybe she mentioned me, Severus Snape, master of dark magic by the age of thirteen? No, well then I see I shall have to explain to you exactly what dark magic is, how one uses it and, of course, what I shall do to you…”

Snape stood, unblinking and unmoving, as the muggles squirmed under his dark gaze. It was too easy at times; he was so good at scaring the feeble-minded with just a look. It was exactly why so many thought he was evil, a misconception he never bothered to correct; he was such a good actor. With a smirk that quelled the muggles he pulled out his wand and looked at it thoughtfully. “Magic is a blessing,” he finally said softly, not looking up. “There are so many things it can solve, so many things that it can return. But even magic cannot stop or erase the harm you inflicted on a child placed in your care. You were given a special gift and you chose to destroy rather than nurture it in your hearts as you should have. Now the question only becomes, where shall I begin?”

“You can’t,” Vernon protested looking around as if for an owl.

“Can’t I?” Snape’s smirk widened. “Only underage wizards have restrictions placed on them by the Ministry whilst they are away from school. But it would be stupid to place the same restrictions on adults. Why would you even begin to think something so trivial? No one knows I’m here and no one will notice the use of magic from this address whilst Mr. Potter is not in residence. Maybe I’ll be nice and explain the spells before I cast them, but then again, maybe not. It all depends on how nicely you scream.”

He watched as all the color drained out of their faces. He grinned quite evilly and fingered his wand. “There are so many spells I could use on you that I hardly know where to begin. My personal favorite for this sort of activity has always been evanesco as it is so effective. But, then again, I could start with aquamenti and then move onto tarantallegra. Oh, how I long to see the effects written across your faces as you writhe in agony on the floor. Then, if you are still conscious I shall cast rictusempra and end with deletrius. By then you will be begging for my mercy. But I shall not grant it to you. Oh no, this is only the beginning. You are both mine for as long as I care to play with you and no one will hear your screams.”


	3. Chapter 3

Dawn was just breaking as Snape reappeared on the road to Hogwarts. It had been a long night and he wanted a long, hot shower before his first class of the day. That was, of course, if Dumbledore hadn’t decided to fire him and then ban him from the castle all together. He really wasn’t sure what made his decide to turn on Dumbledore, well, that’s what he kept telling himself as he walked up to the castle. A pair of scared green eyes, a damaged body and mind kept calling to him begging for his help. Bringing some light back to Harry’s eyes was worth any problems he would face. 

“Severus,” a firm, powerful voice called as he entered the hall.

“Yes, Albus?”

“You disobeyed my orders,” Dumbledore said walking over. He would have been easier to take seriously if he hadn’t been dressed in such loud robes. “You used dark magic on muggles, so I have no further choice in the matter. I have to revoke our agreement.”

The potions master sighed and turned to face the headmaster. “I did nothing of the kind. The worst spell I used was rictusempra and that was only for a couple of minutes,” he replied. “I didn’t even think about using dark magic. I just let them think I was going to hurt them. You know how powerful illusions can be.”

“In that case I want to talk with you about young Harry.”

“There’s nothing to discuss, Albus; you knew the boy was beaten and abused by his relatives and chose not to help or listen to him. That is unforgiveable.”

“That which would not kill him could only make him stronger,” Dumbledore said. “And he had to learn about pain.”

“How could you be so twisted?” Snape hissed sounding a great deal like the mascot for his house. “That young man almost died in the bath because the cuts on his chest were so deep that they would not stop bleeding without potions or magical aid. The cuts were made with some kind of a knife. He was tortured and raped by his so-called family and you sit here in your seat of power and yet you do nothing to help this troubled young man. I’ve taken him as my pax cognati and there is nothing you or anyone else can do about it. He’s mine and you will never see him again!” He turned on his heel and stalked off to his dungeons in a billow or robes. Even if Dumbledore tried to kick him out of Hogwarts, or have him arrested Snape could hide in the twisting tunnels of the dungeons for days. With a sigh he said his password and undid his stronger wards.

He found Harry still asleep in his bed, the young man almost completely buried under the blankets. Snape couldn’t keep the small, tender smile from his face as he gazed down at Harry. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen next, but it would be worth it to keep Harry safe.  
********************

Harry awoke slowly and moved carefully, mindful of his still healing body. He was warm and felt more rested than he’d been in recent memory. The sound of running water caught his attention and Harry froze – Snape was back. His heart started beating faster, what would happen now? Would the snarky git make him leave? Make him go back to classes? Would he repeat anything Harry had told him the night before?

“You should calm down before you do yourself more harm,” Snape commented as he walked into the room. “You do not have to go anywhere, and I would advise against it at the moment. You may remain here today, rest, and I will find some books for you to read. It’s time for you to begin studying how to defeat the dark lord and survive – and only I can help you do that.”

“What about the headmaster?”

Snape smirked. “I’ve decided to take you into my care and there is nothing Dumbledore can do about it. This is an ancient magic beyond all others that everyone in our world respects. It is my belief you have a shield or a seal or your powers and do not yet have full access to your full powers.”

Harry untangled himself and reached for his glasses. “Why would anyone do something like that?”

“I don’t know, Potter, but we will find out and remove it,” Snape said. “I must teach my classes, but I will come back at lunch if my schedule allows. I would ask that you avoid the books on the right hand side of the fireplace as they deal with the darker magics and you are not ready to learn about them yet. You may summon a house elf if you need anything else.”

“Thank you, sir,” Harry whispered.  
********************

Dumbledore was in his study pacing, as he did a lot lately. While making plans for young Harry, and even once the seal was in place and young Harry was with his relatives, Dumbledore hadn’t counted on anyone learning how those relatives treated him every summer. He also hadn’t counted on Severus Snape getting involved, as far as Dumbledore knew the potions master hated the very sight of Harry and wasn’t sure why  
Snape was suddenly going against everything Dumbledore worked so hard to put in place. Now he really had a problem as Severus would surely learn of Harry’s true powers and then everyone in the wizarding world would be in danger. Dumbledore was the only one who knew the true reason Voldemort wanted Harry dead, and he insisted on letting Harry believe it was the prophesy because knowledge of the truth could break the seal Dumbledore placed on Harry’s powers. The child’s soul was that of Merlin and once Harry reached his majority all the powers would return. Harry would be able to create or destroy with a single word and no one would be able to stop him.

Few things scared the headmaster, but he had to admit that Merlin reborn – as he had promised before he vanished centuries before – was one of them. He couldn’t kill the boy, it wasn’t in his nature, but something had to be done before Snape learned the truth or broke the seal on Harry’s powers.  
********************

Harry spent the day curled up on the couch in front of the fire with a blanket and some books. He’d dug around in the bookshelves on the left side of the fireplace after Snape had left and found some easier books to read. They were old potions books that looked like Snape had had them since before school and explained things much more clearly than Snape ever had and Harry was able to make some headway in actually understanding the subject.

He wasn’t aware of how quickly time was passing until the door slammed open and Snape strode into the room. “Are you okay, sir?” Harry asked.

“I’m fine, Potter,” Snape snapped stalking into his bedroom, robes billowing behind him. Harry winced as the door slammed and the sound of things being thrown echoed through the room. From the sounds of things Snape had had a really bad day.

Harry looked around frantically for a place to hide. The only spot that looked like it might work was under the desk where Snape apparently did his marking. It was a struggle to get under there without moving the chair or aggravating his wounds, but Harry had practice and finally managed. Then he curled up in as small a ball as possible and tried to be completely silent.

When Snape came back into the living room he was immediately puzzled; Harry was gone and yet the wards around his quarters were still in place. With a sigh Snape called a house elf and ordered supper for both Harry and himself. The boy was far too thin and needed to eat if he was going to heal physically. Snape knew all he could do to help the boy heal mentally was listening when Harry was ready to talk and offer as much support as possible.

He smiled when he saw what books Potter gravitated towards in spite of what he’d picked out before leaving for his day. Snape knew he wasn’t overly clear in class, but without an innate ability, potions wasn’t something that could be taught. The books had been a present from an uncle when Snape showed his first glimmers of talent in potions.

Did that mean Harry wanted to know more about potions or was he just trying to pass the time until Snape returned? He’d have to ask, if he could ever find the blasted child.

A sneeze made him jump and turn around. There was no one behind him and no one else in the room. “Potter, if you are hiding under that accursed cloak then remove it this instant. I dislike invisible people.” Snape waited but nothing happened. He bit back a sigh. “Potter, quit playing around and come out this instant.” He watched – a little shocked – as his desk chair pushed back and Harry crawled out from underneath his desk, holding his chest. “What in Merlin’s name were you doing under there?”

“You sounded mad and I was afraid you’d hit me,” Harry said softly looking at his feet. “My uncle always hit me when he was mad about anything.”

Snape’s heart constricted in his chest. “Potter, Harry, the one thing I will never do is harm you,” he said. “As I told you this morning you are now under my care until you choose to leave. I will take care of you and help you train to defeat the dark lord. But you must learn to trust me if we are to get anywhere.”

“How?” Harry asked. “Until yesterday I thought you hated me.”

“Come, sit down,” Snape said. He settled into his armchair and watched as Harry crawled back under the blanket on the sofa and curled up as tightly as he could with his injuries. “Harry, I have never hated you. I knew I was expected to act in a certain way when you arrived at Hogwarts and I cannot tell you how much I regret that.”

“Why now?”

“I wish I could answer that,” Snape sighed. He paused as dinner appeared. “But you need my help to stay alive through the war with the dark lord.”

Harry pushed back into the corner of the couch and looked at the blanket. “Why won’t anyone else help me learn what I need?” he asked softly. “I’ve asked the headmaster for help and he just sat there and twinkled at me before saying that I’d have to figure things out on my own. Does he want me dead?”

“I don’t know, Harry, but I’ve been watching from the shadows for too long and I just can’t any more,” Snape said. “You need to know you’re safe and that someone else cares enough to want you alive so you can heal. It won’t be easy for you, but you’ll need to tell me what your family did to you.” He paused with a smirk. “Although, you won’t have to worry about them ever again.”

“What happened?”

“Let’s just say that they have a new respect for magic,” Snape said. “I didn’t hurt them, Harry.”

“I don’t care about them, I don’t want you to get in trouble for me,” Harry protested. “I’m not worth it.”

Snape bit back his immediate angry response, not wanting to scare Harry any more than he already had. But it infuriated him to hear Harry devalue himself so readily. “Harry, you are worth it,” he finally said once he got his emotions under control. “I wish that I’d had someone who cared enough when I was your age to help me. I won’t let you follow me down the road I was forced down.”

“Thank you,” Harry whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

Over the next month Harry's body healed, but he was still extremely flighty. He'd wondered aloud to Snape one night why no one seemed to be looking for him - and the potion's master had been just as puzzled. At no time in his hearing had anyone, student or professor, expressed concern or curiosity about Harry or his whereabouts. Snape didn't have the heart to tell Harry that no one, not even his supposed friends wondered where he was.

The more time he spent around Harry the more convinced Snape became that there was something blocking Harry's powers. It was one reason the boy was so bad in potions, he couldn't control his powers properly and it always led to a disaster. But Snape had taken to studying Harry at odd times - when the boy wasn't aware of it - and noticed he didn't always use his wand to cast spells. But, like potions, those power bursts were extremely unpredictable and Snape wasn't able to work out a way to tell when, or if, they would happen. Harry eventually told Snape the truth about his wand, that it's core was a twin to Voldemort's and how they had reacted in the graveyard back in forth year. Harry confessed one night, after a particularly vivid nightmare of Voldemort's return, that he wished he'd been killed that night. Snape tried to hold Harry to help him calm down, but the boy still didn't like to be touched.

And yet they were making progress. Harry didn't hide when Snape came home in a foul mood and he didn't flinch at loud noises. Snape wondered, not for the first time, how it was possible Harry's friends never noticed the problems Harry had. But, then again, Granger normally had her nose stuck in a book and the youngest Weasley boy wouldn't notice a dragon unless it sat on him. Still, something wasn't right, and Snape wondered exactly what was going on.  
********************

Even though Harry wasn't sure why Snape was suddenly being so nice to him, protecting him, teaching him and letting him live in the dungeons, Harry was just happy to be somewhere safe. And he was learning things, important things that would actually help him battle Voldemort rather than just walking to his death. Snape wasn't any different in private than he'd been in class, but Harry could pick out the little efforts the man made to be careful. Harry had been a little freaked out the first time Snape bought him Wizard history books from Diagon Alley - he made regular trips on weekends for supplies for his personal potions and research. But Harry eventually recognized it as a way to teach him about his world while being nice, in a Snape-ish way, at the same time. Harry's favorite book was one about Merlin, his life and adventures. Snape picked up on the interest and started hunting specifically for books on Merlin.

"Severus, Merlin was real, wasn't he?" Harry asked one night in December.

"As far as we can tell, yes," Snape replied. "That reminds me, I found you three new books today; they're in your room when you want to read them."

"Thanks," Harry smiled shyly. "Do you think it would take someone as powerful as Merlin to defeat the dark lord?"

The potion's master put down his quill and moved to his armchair by the fire. Harry looked up from where he was sprawled on the hearthrug, recognizing the signs of a discussion. "Having spent time with the dark lord I would say the only reason he holds so much power is fear," Snape said. "He uses spells and curses that no decent wizard would. He is quite mad and he requires perfect devotion from his followers."

"So do people fear him more because of his power or what he might do to them?" Harry asked.

"What he will do to them," Snape corrected. "There are few families who remain completely pure. It is only a matter of time before every family in our world will have lost someone to the war."

"Severus, did you know he's a half-blood?" Harry asked.

Snape stared at the young man lying on the floor in shock. "The dark lord himself is not of pure blood?" he finally managed to say. "How many know of this?"

"Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, maybe some of the Order," Harry replied. "But it can't be used against him, there's not enough evidence left."

"Harry, you know how powerful rumor can be," Snape said. "Let me think on this for a while. We may yet be able to do something."

"Okay, I'm going to turn in," Harry said. "And make a start on one of the new books you got me."

"Sleep well, Harry," Snape said.  
********************

Growing up Harry had always been a light sleeper - for obvious reasons - and while he usually managed to sleep through the night in the dungeons, the slightest noise would still wake him. So he wasn't surprised when he jerked awake in the middle of the night, his new book falling to the floor. It took him a minute to get his bearings and then work out exactly what woke him. Snape was moaning.

He slipped on his dressing gown and went out towards Snape's bedroom door - a door he had been forbidden from entering under pain of death. Harry was puzzled to see a pale blue mass sitting over and penetrating the door. His mind told him it was a silencing spell, but that didn't make any sense because he'd never been able to see spells before. Just to be sure he pinched himself, but he wasn't dreaming. What was even more puzzling was that Harry just knew that if he pushed on one knot of the silver strands running around the mass the entire spell would come apart and he would be able to hear if Snape needed help.

The moaning grew louder as the spell dissolved under Harry's hand and he cracked the door open to see what was wrong with his sometimes snarky potion's master. Snape was in bed, the covers kicked down to the foot of the bed. He was completely naked, lying on his back and stroking himself. Harry felt his face turn red and he started to back out of the room, but froze at the sound of his name. As Snape arched up into his own touch he was moaning Harry's name.

Harry couldn't believe it. Why would Snape be doing something like that? He'd obviously set up the shield to keep his moans and cries to himself, so he didn't want Harry to know. Could it be that Snape felt the same way as Harry and kept it to himself because of how badly Harry was abused? Harry had felt his former feelings return with a vengeance as he watched Snape. The only problem now was how to bring the subject up. Maybe he could do it by asking why he could suddenly see spells. All Harry was sure of was that Snape's actions suddenly made a lot more sense.  
********************

YOU-KNOW-WHO REVEALED AS HALF-BLOOD!!  
A contact as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry brought forward new and startling evidence that You-Know-Who, long fanatical in his campaign for the eradication of muggle-borns and anything other than pure blood, is nothing more than a half-blood himself. He who must not be named was once Tom Riddle and attended Hogwarts in the 1940s, brought in by Albus Dumbledore. The Headmaster could not be reached for comment, but questions now arise as to where exactly Riddle learned so many of the dark arts. The teaching curriculum has been changed since Dumbledore became headmaster and a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor has been hired every year. Students state that their instruction in this subject has been splotchy at best. Several state they're curious as to why the school changes teachers so often and say there are rumors that the position is cursed. If You-Know-Who did learn dark arts at school, his rise to power might be better explained with the release of his school records. Also, questions now arise as to his connects to the Muggle world and the Second World War.

 

Dumbledore's copy of the Daily Prophet shredded in his hands. Fawkes squawked as several pieces of the paper hit him in the shower of newsprint.

"Someone has been talking to the paper again," Dumbledore told his familiar. "And there are only a few people who know the truth about Riddle. How dare they insinuate that I would teach a student dark magic? Severus has gone too far this time and now he will pay."  
********************

It wasn't until around Christmas that Harry was able to bring up his new ability to see spells. At first Snape was confused because everyone could see the spell as it left the wand. Finally, in frustration, Harry cast the same silencing spell Snape often used on his bedroom door. "Here, watch his," Harry all but shouted. He walked up to what looked like empty air to Snape and raised his hand like he was going to touch something.

"Harry, what exactly did you want me to see?" Snape asked feeling more and more frustrated every second. The young man shouldn't have even known that spell in the first place and Snape didn't like not knowing exactly what was going on.

"Didn't you see it?" Harry asked. "The pale blue and silver thing; it was right there."

"I saw nothing, are you sure you weren't hallucinating?" Snape asked in reply.

"Oh for Merlin's sake, I'm trying to ask a sensible question and you act like you don't know what I'm on about," Harry yelled. "No wonder no one understands potions!"

Snape froze in his chair and stared at the now cowering young man. Harry was trembling and slowly backing away shaking his head. Snape took a deep breath, something he usually didn't do before yelling, and tried to count to ten. He'd made too much progress with Harry since school started to screw it up with a cross word.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Harry muttered still backing away, his green eyes fixed on Snape and wide with fear.

"Harry, come here," Snape said. His voice wasn't a shout, but it was louder than normal.

"No, you'll hurt me," Harry said. He tripped over a chair and curled into a ball on the floor. "Don't hurt me, please don't."

With a deep sigh Snape rubbed his eyes. "Harry, I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "Calm down and look at me. I'm still in my chair despite wanting to ensure that you're unharmed by your fall."

While Snape waited for Harry to uncurl himself from the floor, he contemplated exactly what the young man could possibly mean by seeing spells. It was true the young man suddenly knew one of Snape's own creations, the silencing spell for his door. That spell wasn't written down as he'd not wanted it used against him as so many of his creations had been. So what, exactly, had Harry been talking about? He'd mentioned pale blue and silver, almost as if he expected Snape to see something in the air after he cast the spell. Suddenly a shiver ran through Snape and he sat bolt upright in his chair.

"Harry, I believe I just figured out what you mean," he said softly. "Come with me."

Snape didn't even wait for a response; he swept off to his personal lab and quickly cast a heat shield charm around his brass cauldron. "Tell me what you see, Harry."

The young man stayed in the doorway and looked at the cauldron. "There's a red and gray globe around the brass cauldron," he said looking back at Snape. He moved forward carefully and reached out. "And you only need to touch it here to get rid of it." He reached out and put his finger into the air, almost as if he were touching something. Snape waved his hand over the cauldron and found that the shield was gone.

"This is remarkable. It's not that you can see spells, Harry," Snape said slowly. The idea was still forming in his mind. "It's that you can see the physical manifestation of the magic within the spells and that's why you're responding to colors. Wingarduim leviosa."

One of the smaller, unbreakable pestles floated up in the air. Harry studied it for a minute. "That's white and feathery," he finally said reaching out and only just moving in time to keep his feet from harm. "Why now? Why haven't I been able to do this before?"

"Do you remember I thought there was a shield around your powers?"

"Yes, sir."

"It's possible that it's weakening because you've been in my rooms since school stared," Snape said. "And the caster hasn't been able to renew the spell. Harry, I know of only one person who could see spells, as you put it."

"Voldemort," Harry interrupted flatly.

"Don't say his name and don't interrupt," Snape said. "No, it was Merlin, Harry."

"But how could I have the same power?"

"Do you know anything about your family tree?"

"No, I don't even know who my grandparents are," Harry said. "My muggle relatives didn't speak of them at all."

Snape frowned but Harry didn't back away this time as he recognized it was a thinking frown. "I believe it is time to do some research, Harry," he said. But before he could continue he was interrupted again, this time by a knock on the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Harry stood in the middle of his dorm in Gryffindor Tower in shock. The aurors had taken Snape away, they'd barged into his rooms, wands drawn, and taken him away. Dumbledore spent the next hour twinkling as he told Harry how glad he was that the young man was safe, that he wasn't harmed and trying to get Harry to join him for tea. But Harry could tell there was something in both the tea and candy Dumbledore offered - there was a red haze apparently visible only to him. That told Harry who had put the shield on his powers and he started wondering exactly what was going on. He'd snapped back to attention when Dumbledore told him that he'd be returning to his family for the remainder of the holiday and again during the summer. Harry had been given a little time to see his friends before the headmaster would take him away from the school.

The decision seemed obvious, especially when no one even acknowledged his presence in the tower. Harry shrunk his trunk, tucked it in a pocket and left. He went back to Snape's rooms - his rooms. The door opened with the barest touch of his hand - apparently Snape was serious about keeping him safe in the dungeons. For the first time since arriving Hogwarts Harry knew he needed a plan before he acted. To Harry, rescuing Snape was more important than anything. He knew Dumbledore would've let the aurors take Snape to Azkaban and Harry thought he'd be dead in a matter of days, if not hours. The potion's master had done some terrible things in his youth, and having to relive them might prove too much even for the strong-minded man. Harry wasn't sure if occulmency would work against the Dementors, but didn't want Snape to have to find out.

He walked along the bookshelves as he thought. Harry wanted to avoid the use of dark magic; he wasn't sure exactly what happened to someone who used it, but as he didn't understand it, he wouldn't use it. He wasn't even sure the solution he was looking for was in the books, but he pulled some and started skimming as he knew he didn't have much time.

As he was reading Harry could feel Dumbledore and several others trying to break into the room. He supposed the headmaster was upset that his plans were thwarted, but Harry couldn't spare the energy to care. He could feel himself growing stronger and he needed to save Snape.

The main problem, Harry knew, was he was facing the Dementors. The ones Harry fought off in his third year had been hungry and likely weak. The ones at Azkaban would doubtless be well-fed and much stronger. He knew his patronus wouldn't be strong enough to keep him safe and give him the time he needed to save Snape. So Harry sat staring into the fire turning ideas around in his mind. The one thought that kept resurfacing was Sirius saying the Dementors were blind and fed on emotions, pain and souls - and animals confused them. The problem with that was that it took years of intense study to become an animagus and Harry needed something that would work now. Severus was running out of time.

Suddenly, and without warning, the sitting room shifted and swirled around him. When everything cleared again, Harry struggled out of his robes and almost passed out in shock. He was staring down at his...paws? Black cat paws to be exact. Well, that's one problem solved, Harry thought turning to look at his tail. Now the only question is how do I change back again?

His mind seemed to know things Harry was sure he hadn't put there. Once he was back in his human form and dressed in new robes, Harry sat back down to think about exactly how he would get Snape out of Azkaban. The Dementors wouldn't bother him as long as he stayed in cat form, but he had a feeling they'd swarm him the second he shifted back.

After a great deal of consideration, Harry finally prepared to leave.  
********************

Harry burst from Snape's rooms in a billow of midnight robes so blue they were almost black. Dumbledore grabbed his arm as he passed, but was flung into a wall by a sudden burst of magic so powerful it melted some of the stones. When Harry turned and looked at them his glasses were gone and his once emerald eyes were dark and ageless.

"Do not touch me, old man," he said and everyone in the hall cringed away from the echoing power. Harry turned and left, his robes flowing much like Snape's did when he stalked the halls.

Blearily, Dumbledore realized that his seal on the young man's powers was gone and Merlin once again walked the Earth. He shuddered; the wizarding world as they knew it was doomed.  
********************

Azkaban was on an island in the North Sea. Winter storms battered the rocks sending up a steady spray of freezing salt water. Harry appeared on the south end of the island and quickly turned into the black cat. He ran into the stone building, not liking the feel of ice water on his fur. Even in animal form he was able to sense the despair of the people imprisoned there. When he slipped inside his now sensitive nose was assailed by the smell of muck, sickness, decay and death.

As he wandered the castle-like building that was home to nothing but pain, Harry eventually realized that he could see the auras of the prisoners in their cells. He could also tell if a person was truly guilty; his mind told him their aura would be shrunken, pale and wrapped in black cords. Anyone he saw like that he turned into a tree or stone and opened the cell to the elements. For anyone who was innocent, as Sirius had been, he turned them free. The Dementors he turned to stone and hurled them far out into the ocean. He didn't know how he was doing any of the new spells, but felt that it was the right thing to do.

Harry almost missed Snape on his first time through. His aura was shrunken and pale, but wrapped in white rather than black. That, Harry's mind supplied, meant that Snape held himself responsible and guilty. But he was an innocent. Harry changed back into clothed human form and gently wrapped Snape in a cloak charmed to keep him warm.

"I'm here, my love," he whispered. "It's my turn to keep you safe. None shall harm you again."

Harry, or rather Merlin, cast the spell that would level Azkaban for all time and left.  
********************

Dumbledore paced his study as McGonagall and Fawkes watched. His arm was still numb from the magical charge Harry had stunned him with. "I've failed, Minerva," he said at last sinking into his chair. "I've failed not only two children who relied on me for care, but the wizarding world as a while."

"Albus, no one is all seeing," McGonagall replied. "I'm sure you did what you believed to be right."

"But could the same not also be said of Voldemort?" Dumbledore asked. "Am I not as evil as him for, in my own way, I've done irreparable harm to children in my care. I always told myself I was acting in their best interests, but was I really acting for my own?"

"'You of all people can't second guess yourself," she said. "Surely your life has taught you that."

He sighed. "The mass memory charm was a mistake. Harry is poised to return; only he's not the child we all loved, Minerva. Merlin broke through the magical shields and seal I placed on him and Harry has come into his powers early. I don't know what happened."

"Do you mean that Merlin really has returned?" McGonagall gasped, hands flying to her mouth.

"In the hour of our greatest need, just as he promised," Dumbledore replied. "A young man I placed in an abusive environment and allowed Severus to influence is now more powerful than Voldemort or myself."

"You don't honestly believe Severus would harm a boy, do you, Albus? After all, he is a Hogwarts professor, no matter what his past is like."

"A professor who removed a student from the general population of the school at the start of term and never allowed him out of his personal chambers," Dumbledore said. "Harry has been abused his entire life and probably latched onto the first person to show him love. Or the image of love."

"How dare you?" a dark voice echoed in the office. Fawkes squawked and burst into flames in shock. Dumbledore and McGonagall looked around frantically, afraid that Voldemort had somehow managed to breech the inner sanctum of Hogwarts."

Slowly Harry appeared atop the stairs. He was holding Snape gently against his chest, tenderly stroking the man's lank and greasy hair. Harry was now dressed in violet robes that seemed to shift and flow around his body even though there was no wind. He summoned a chocolate bar from the box by Dumbledore's desk, checked and unwrapped it. "Here, my love, eat this; it will help," he said to Snape. His ageless eyes focused back on Dumbledore. "This man was the only one in young Harry's life to care enough to want to help him with no thought of personal gain. And you dare sit here in your tower and accuse him of rape. The monsters you sent Harry to live with are the only ones guilty of that offense and, in time, they will pay."

"How did you get in here?" Dumbledore demanded standing. He was radiating power as his magic reacted to the threat. McGonagall stood as well and drew her wand to support Dumbledore.

Merlin snorted and waved his hand idly, as if he was brushing away an annoying fly. "Those won't do you any good," he said, his focus back on Snape. "The wand limits the amount of power cast with each spell, and over time, the wizard loses much magical potential after relying on such a crutch. You should still be teaching the old ways."

"You didn't answer me," Dumbledore said.

"No wards can keep me out. I remember who I am, what I promised and what my work is," Merlin said. "It was foolish of you to keep it from me, old man."

"But Merlin was kind and did no harm."

The dark eyes shifted back to him. "Then the history books have been changed," he said. "However, the only ones I intend to harm or battle are those who wish to destroy my world. However, you've done great harm to those who looked to you for protection, old man. Especially young Harry. However, I am not now nor have I ever been a cruel man, no matter what my actions. For now you shall only suffer the guilt you seem to feel. I shall watch but do no more unless you change your mind."

"What will you do now?" McGonagall asked.

Merlin summoned another chocolate bar and started to vanish. "Make things right."  
********************

Harry took a moment to put Snape in his rooms in the dungeons. "Rest here, my love," he whispered pulled the blankets up over the exhausted man. "You'll be safe enough until my return." He kissed Snape gently and left, warding the rooms behind him. When he was finished he was the only one who would be able to enter or leave. Snape was safe from the twinkling manipulator who ran the school.


	6. Chapter 6

Merlin's manner of travel wasn't as crude as apperating. He could appear and vanish at will, or enter a place and remain invisible until he was ready to allow himself to be seen. He did so at the Ministry of Magic and slipped into the Minister's office silently and just watched. He was saddened by the mess in front of him, that the world he'd helped create had rotted so much. Fudge was at his desk shouting at people.

"Azkaban could not just vanish," he was yelling when Merlin walked in. "Find out what happened! Alert the aurors! We need to recapture everyone before the press finds out about this."

Robes swirling around him, Merlin appeared and swept everyone out of the room with a single move of his hand, shutting the door behind them. "All who left that island were innocent," he said his voice dark and powerful. "As I have judged them all and learned the truth. They are to be left alone."

"Potter, what the hell are you doing here?" Fudge demanded just before a wind or magical storm picked him up and slammed him into a wall.

"I am not Potter," the dark voice continued. "And yet, I am. However, you will call me by my true name, a name that all will know - I am Merlin and I have returned."

"What is this rubbish?" Fudge squeaked. "Merlin died years ago."

"I vanished, true, but with a promise to return," the great wizard said sitting down in the Minister's chair. "Now, I believe you have much to answer for and I fully intend to receive answers before I go to deal with this self-styled dark lord."

"What are you going to do?"

Dark, ageless eyes turned on him. "Eliminate the threat to the world I helped found," Merlin said. "And you will tell me all that I want to know."  
********************

Snape felt warm, safe and secure. He'd felt his memories come flooding back when a warm cloak and warmed eyes wrapped around him. He risked opening his eyes for the first time since he'd been overpowered by the aurors and was surprised to see he was in his own rooms - his own bed - surrounded by Harry's scent.

He rolled onto his side and found a bar of chocolate on the table. Snape grabbed it and tore off the wrapper, forcing himself to eat it slowly. Then he summoned a house elf, ordered dinner and asked that his bed be changed and his clothes burned. All he wanted was a hot shower and to have his Harry back.

When Snape finally felt clean he wrapped himself in an old robe and walked out into the sitting room. "Harry!"

"No, Severus, I am Merlin," a dark voice said. "You were correct when you said a shield had been placed on this child's powers, or rather, my powers. Your care helped me to break through and now I can eliminate the one called Voldemort forever, but I need your aid."

"I was right, you were in Harry?" Snape asked.

"My soul is Harry's soul and yet we are separate," Merlin replied. "We share his body and his feelings, so I know I can trust you. When you are summoned by the Dark Lord go and do whatever he wishes. I'll be with you and ensure no harm befalls you. The spell I will cast will not harm you."

Snape nodded. "Whatever you need," he said. He thought he should feel afraid of all the power he could feel sitting on the couch, but he didn't. It made him feel safe.  
********************

Word spread through the magical world like a muggle wildfire - Merlin himself had returned. Eventually word reached Voldemort in the house he used as a hideout, otherwise known as Malfoy Manor. He summoned his most loyal Death Eaters to his side. "If it is true that Merlin the Wise has returned to this world then we must act in haste to finish Potter and move against those who still stand against us."

The Death Eaters shifted carefully. None of them were brave enough to ask the question on all their minds - until Wormtail finally spoke up. "My lord, is that safe?" he asked from his place beside Voldemort's chair.

"We shall have Severus bring him to us," Voldemort replied. "He has easy access to the child. Go, fetch the boy."

Snape bowed and left the room, careful to keep his thoughts shielded, and thankful he had an excuse to leave before the battle. Snape trusted Harry not to lie to him, but was nervous about a possible magical backlash though the dark mark.

The remaining Death Eaters, the inner circle, waited and watched their lord for any sign that he was growing restless; he liked to hex people to relieve boredom brought on by waiting. No one noticed the dark shadow against the curtains.

While he waited for Snape to return with Potter, Voldemort brooded. If Merlin had indeed returned then after he killed the Potter brat, he'd have to leave England for a while; let things cool down before he continued his quest to rid the magical world of all those not of pure blood. The article in the paper had angered him to no end. That fool Dumbledore, no doubt, trying to gain some ground in what was fast becoming a losing battle for the light.

Voldemort leapt to his feet as a magical wind blew through the room, whipping robes and swirling dust up towards the ceiling. Suddenly a dark, melodic voice echoed through the room, a spell cast so suddenly that no one had time to react. The death eaters in the room were turned instantly to stone where they stood and Voldemort was hung, suspended in mid-air. Merlin stepped into the room, forest green robes shifting and shimmering around him.

"Potter," Voldemort spat.

"Yes, and then again, no," Merlin replied. His voice was as deep as the cave he was rumored to have been imprisoned in centuries before. "I am Merlin, and I have come to deal with you."

"How did you get in here?"

"I am Merlin, there is no manner of ward or seal with which to keep me out," Merlin said with a soft sigh. "You claim to be a dark lord and yet all I see is one who desires to cause others pain. I suppose much has indeed changed since my day. No one seems to understand that it is not purity of blood that matters, but strength of spirit and the will to fight. A caring nature, a love for all living things. Wisdom to know when to act - those are the qualities of the true wizard. You bore me. Be gone."

With a simple wave of his hand Merlin destroyed Voldemort forever.

"Merlin?" 

The powerful wizard watched the dust settle. "He is gone, Severus, and you are free." Merlin turned and held out a hand. "Focus not on your past, but the future. Harry will need your help if he is to change the wizarding world so it more closely follows my visions."

"What about you?" Snape asked.

"I will be here, but the body is rightly Harry's. He and I are one, yet split, and I have lived one life already. I will not kill so innocent a soul. I will be here if either of you need me. Now come, Severus, we have work to do."


	7. Chapter 7

Snape spent most of the next week in his rooms trying to avoid Dumbledore. As bad as the twinkling old coot had been before, it turned out that a guilt-ridden twinkling old coot was even worse. After the first day Merlin took pity on him and set up wards that only he or Snape could cross, which allowed Snape time and quiet to catch up on his research. Classes had been canceled for a week in celebration of Voldemort's demise.

Merlin spent his days at the Ministry placing new laws into effect that would change the direction of the wizarding world while still keeping it hidden from the muffles. Several Ministry departments were destroyed - such as the Department of Mysteries - and their employees placed elsewhere. Madame Bones and Arthur Weasley were hand-picked to run the new Ministry on a daily basis, with a warning that Merlin would be watching and planned to visit unannounced.

Snape was reading when Harry appeared in the living room. He'd leaned to tell the difference in the two being sharing the same body. "Are you done for the day, Harry?"

"Yeah, I think the Ministry is almost working again," Harry replied flopping onto the sofa with a groan. "Once that's done we're going to create a new curriculum for Hogwarts. Only fourth year and below will be allowed wands and then they'll have to pass a series of tests to graduate; tests that are far more demanding than OWLs or NEWTs. So many witches and wizards have lost their powers by relying on wands to focus it. It can't continue like this."

"People won't like it." 

"This is how it used to be and shall be again."

"Sorry, Merlin," Snape said.

Harry laughed as the more powerful wizard settled into the background again. "He loves doing that," he said. "I think Merlin is really enjoying the modern era."

"It's still strange," Snape said. He looked at his hands for a minute. "Harry, I've been meaning to ask you something, but you've been so busy I just haven't had the heart to bother you once you're home."

"What is it, Severus?"

"When Merlin saved me from Azkaban and then several times since, he called me -my love'," Snape said. ""Are those his feelings, or yours?"

"They started as mine and I think now it's both of us," Harry replied. "Severus, I saw you that night, when I learned I could see the magic within spells. I don't know if it was that Merlin could hear through your spell or if you just didn't case it right, but I heard you moaning my name."

Snape turned red and looked away. "So why didn't you leave?" he asked. "Why did you save me like you did?"

"Because I've loved you for a long time," Harry said. "That's the only reason I came back at the start of this past year, to see you again. I was ready to die, Severus, but I couldn't without seeing you one last time. And then everything went to hell so fast and I was just trying to recover from what Dumbledore and my family did to me and we, somehow, ended up here."

"So you're not disgusted?"

"Of course not," Harry said. He pushed up and crossed the room to sit in Snape's lap. "If anything, I think my feelings and concern for you brought Merlin out much faster than the headmaster was expecting. Oh yes, he knew the truth and is punishing himself quite well for what he did to both of us."

"What now?" Snape asked.

"I'm not going back to classes," Harry replied. "Merlin and I will teach Defense and a darker arts class. The students need to understand the more evil spells, their history, and why they should never be used on another."

Snape blinked. "What if they do use them?"

"Then they'll join Fudge as an elm tree in the park," Harry said. "I understand there's a lot of time to think when one is a tree. Don't look like that, Severus; I wouldn't leave them that way for long - just long enough to learn a lesson."

"And, what of us?" Snape asked slowly.

"Are you trying to get rid of me, Severus?" Harry asked in reply. "I've loved you since before you saved me this year, so you don't have to worry about some sort of inappropriate crush or mistaken feelings. I want to share a bed and a life with you."

"And what of Master Merlin?"

"He likes it when you call him that," Harry grinned. "I'm still not ready for more, Severus; I might not be for a year or more. But I do know that you'll never hurt me. That I'm safe here with you. Safer than I ever have been before."

"I feel the same way, Harry," Snape said. He wrapped an arm around the younger man and hugged him carefully. "We'll find a way to make this work. That I can promise you."


End file.
